Tobacco-Related Disparities Viewed Through the Lens of Intersectionality.

Despite remarkable progress, tobacco control efforts are not equitably distributed, and tobacco-related disparities continue to contribute to significant health disparities. Our premise in this commentary is that Intersectionality can serve as a productive analytical framework for examining tobacco-related disparities across and within multiple marginalized populations. Intersectionality is a theoretical framework for understanding the multiple interlocking societal systems that bestow privilege and oppression and is increasingly being to the study of health inequities. We present a model and describe how tobacco-related disparities can be understood via critical elements of Intersectionality. We conclude that the application of Intersectionality to understanding tobacco-related disparities has potential to stimulate meaningful discussion and lead to new and innovative multilevel and cross-cutting interventions to eliminate tobacco-related disparities and foster culturally safe environment in which all people can thrive. IMPLICATIONS: This commentary describes how Intersectionality can serve as a productive analytic framework for examining the development and maintenance of tobacco-related disparities across and within many marginalized groups.

From sexless to sexy: Why it is time for human genetics to consider and report analyses of sex.

Science has come a long way with regard to the consideration of sex differences in clinical and preclinical research, but one field remains behind the curve: human statistical genetics. The goal of this commentary is to raise awareness and discussion about how to best consider and evaluate possible sex effects in the context of large-scale human genetic studies. Over the course of this commentary, we reinforce the importance of interpreting genetic results in the context of biological sex, establish evidence that sex differences are not being considered in human statistical genetics, and discuss how best to conduct and report such analyses. Our recommendation is to run stratified analyses by sex no matter the sample size or the result and report the findings. Summary statistics from stratified analyses are helpful for meta-analyses, and patterns of sex-dependent associations may be hidden in a combined dataset. In the age of declining sequencing costs, large consortia efforts, and a number of useful control samples, it is now time for the field of human genetics to appropriately include sex in the design, analysis, and reporting of results.

Relationship between extremely low total serum IgE levels and rhinosinusitis.

BACKGROUND: The few studies examining clinical manifestations in adults with serum IgE levels less than 2.0 IU/mL provide conflicting information. OBJECTIVE: To examine self-reported respiratory disease in women with total serum IgE levels less than 2.0 IU/mL to further elucidate previous reports of an association between IgE deficiency and chronic rhinosinusitis. METHODS: In a geographically based cohort of 626 pregnant women, total serum IgE levels were measured using a standard assay with a lower limit of detection of 2.0 IU/mL. Sera with IgE levels less than 2.0 IU/mL were assayed again using a low IgE protocol with a detection limit of 0.02 IU/mL. RESULTS: Twenty-one individuals (3.4%) were found to have IgE levels less than 2.0 IU/mL. On repeated assay, 20 of these individuals with available clinical data were found to have detectable IgE levels ranging from 0.5 to 2.1 IU/mL (geometric mean, 1.2 IU/mL). None of these individuals with low IgE levels had physician-diagnosed sinusitis compared with 19.3% (113/585) of those with IgE levels of 2.0 IU/mL or greater (P = .03). Physician-diagnosed asthma was also less prevalent (1/19, 5.3%) in the low IgE group compared with 20.6% in those with higher IgE levels, but this was not significant (P = .14). The low IgE group reported a higher prevalence of hay fever symptoms than the remaining cohort (31.6% vs 24.4%; P = .43) but had less physician-diagnosed hay fever (5.3% vs 15.8%; P = .34). CONCLUSIONS: Low serum IgE levels were relatively common in these pregnant women. In contrast to previous studies, a low IgE level was not associated with chronic rhinosinusitis.